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Best Length for Documentary Films
February 4, 2010
How long should your documentary be? I get this question a lot in my work as an editor and story consultant. Frankly, I think the majority of documentaries that were not shaped by experienced editor, story consultant or a supervising executive at a broadcast outlet such as HBO or Showtime are too long. And the problem with “too long”, of course, is that your audience begins to glaze over or feel restless, and you, my dear director, have lost the opportunity to leave them wanting more. So how long should a documentary be? As long as it needs to be.…
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J-school alumni from UC Berkeley at Sundance
February 3, 2010
This year’s Sundance film Festival has been one of the most rewarding for me because of the participation of a number of outstanding J-school alumni from UC Berkeley, where I teach editing. Arriving into the Salt Lake City airport, I ran into Pete Nicks, director of the upcoming documentary feature “The Waiting Room”. Pete (class of ’91) invited me to share a ride to Park City, and I got to hear a preview of his presentation on a panel about film and Web 3.0. “The Waiting Room”, a film about uninsured patients in urban hospitals, is at the vanguard of…
Read More...What’s New at Sundance
February 2, 2010
I’d love to hear from others Sundance trekkers found new, innovative, and possibly trendy in the documentary world. A few things caught my eye. First, I learned about the emerging field of online virtual cinematography called “machinima”, showcased brilliantly in Jason Spingarn-Koff’s delightful “Life 2.0” about Second Life. I saw my first “live” documentary, in which director Sam Green narrated in person his “Utopia In Four Movements”. The music was live too. And the observational footage in the Afghan war zone was remarkable and perhaps unparalleled, giving “Restrepo” the Grand Jury Prize. Looking at the list of award-winning documentaries, as…
Read More...Antarctica
January 26, 2010
Endurance Inspired way back in 2000 by the Sundance Film Festival’s premiere of The Endurance, I finally visited Antarctica, where I heroically stripped down to my bathing suit and took a dip in icy waters. (No, this is not a rant about global warming.) To be honest, the beach had a natural hot springs flowing into the ocean, thus making the task bearable and undermining my bragging rights. If you haven’t seen the story of Shackleton’s legendary voyage, rent it to be entertained by a powerful example of a character-driven documentary. To my point: I need a volunteer to help…
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The First Comprehensive Resource to Focus on Documentary Film Editing
January 22, 2010
Documentary Editing Back in the day, when I was a budding editor, I was taught to avoid jump cuts. That was about the extent of my editing education, despite the fact that I was attending one of the top graduate schools in the world for documentary filmmaking. To make matters worse, there were no books on how to edit a documentary film. (I was intrigued in 1993 when Walter Murch’s In the Blink of an Eye was published, but I soon realized that it was aimed primarily at Hollywood narratives, not documentaries.) Fast forward two decades. After years of training…
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Sundance Film Festival
January 21, 2010
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe I’m excited to be going to the Sundance Film Festival this week. There’ll be a whole new lineup of exciting documentary films that I won’t have time to watch during the crazy Park City hubbub. Last year at Sundance, I had time in between networking and parties to watch five films in five days. However, over the course of 2009, I dragged my girlfriends (not unwillingly) to see several documentaries that have premiered at Sundance and were now being released theatrically. Among the most memorable: The Cove, an action packed character-driven film with an inspiring…
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How A Backstory Can Solve The Problem of Pacing
January 20, 2010
A screenwriter can plot progressive complications without being constrained by journalistic ethics, but what can a documentary filmmaker do if the actual chronology of conflict ebbs and flows rather than steadily escalates? Many editors’ biggest challenge in Act Two is sustaining momentum. Since Act Two is the longest act (a little more than half the film), it is imperative that the editor ratchets up conflict. How can the editor ramp up the protagonist’s opposition while staying true to the facts? One solution is to change the order of events, recognizing that a chronicle does not have to unfold chronologically. You…
Read More...Great Example of Documentary Film Trailer
January 14, 2010
Filmmakers are always asking me for examples of well-cut trailers, so I am delighted to offer this gem: www.connectedthefilm.com Directed by award-winning director Tiffany Shlain (The Tribe, 2006), the trailer for her new film, Connected, is witty, smart, and exceptionally short. With a total TRT of 1:25, this sneak preview leaves you intrigued and wanting more. In the spirit of self disclosure, I am working as a story consultant on this documentary. But I had nothing to do with the trailer, which was edited by Shlain and co-editor Dalan McNabola. So…what makes this trailer so great? In addition to stunning…
Read More...How A Backstory Can Solve The Problem of Pacing
January 13, 2010
A screenwriter can plot progressive complications without being constrained by journalistic ethics, but what can a documentary filmmaker do if the actual chronology of conflict ebbs and flows rather than steadily escalates? Many editors’ biggest challenge in Act Two is sustaining momentum. Since Act Two is the longest act (a little more than half the film), it is imperative that the editor ratchets up conflict. How can the editor ramp up the protagonist’s opposition while staying true to the facts? One solution is to change the order of events, recognizing that a chronicle does not have to unfold chronologically. You…
Read More...Braving the Polar Plunge
January 12, 2010
I just returned from Antarctica, where I heroically stripped down to my bathing suit and took a dip in icy waters. (No, this is not a rant about global warming.) To be honest, the beach had a natural hot springs flowing into the ocean, thus making the task bearable and undermining my bragging rights. Stay tuned for a my announcement next week about my new book! And I want to remind you documentary film makers who are needing help structuring your films, that you can get my e-course, “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary,” for $197. Here’s what one person who took…
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